Kinnordy House

Kinnordy House, near Kirriemuir in Angus, Scotland, is best known as a grand estate house — but tucked within its walled garden stands a small, elegant observatory tower with its own place in scientific history.

About Kinnordy House

The current three-storey, towered and turreted house at Kinnordy dates from 1881, incorporating an 18th-century wing and stables. An earlier house on the site was built in the 1680s, after the previous family seat, Inverquharity Castle, was vacated.

History

An observatory building was added to the grounds in the mid-to-late 18th century, within the walled garden, and may have been instigated by the estate's naturalist and botanist connections. It takes the form of a two-storey structure with a circular tower rising to a cupola and a rooftop walkway. Kinnordy House itself was the birthplace of the noted geologist Charles Lyell, born in 1797, and the estate is closely associated with his friend Charles Darwin, who corresponded with and visited the Lyell family.

Location & getting there

Kinnordy sits in Angus, in the east of Scotland, near the market town of Kirriemuir — gently rolling countryside within reach of Dundee and the Angus glens.

Visiting Kinnordy House

Kinnordy is a private estate; check current access arrangements before planning any visit, as the house and its observatory tower are not routinely open to the public.

See your named star from here

A historic garden observatory like Kinnordy's is a charming reminder that stargazing has always been a personal pursuit. If you'd like your own connection to the night sky, name a star with Star Register and find it afterward in our star catalogue.